MS (multiple sclerosis) is an disease of central nervous system (CNS) which act on teenagers and adults. Some studies showed that several infectious agents can play a role as the aetiological factor in MS progression. ln the last three decades, investigators suggested that microorganisms can be related with MS progression. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between MS and C. pneumoniae with HHV-6, and also to determine the Apo E genotype distrubution in MS patients and its relationship with C. pneumoniae and HHV-6.

39 MS patients, 42 healthy controls and 10 patients with other neurologic diseases (OND) were included in this study. We detected C. pneumoniae IgG, IgM and IgA with HHV-6 IgG and IgM in sera taken from MS patients and healthy controls with microimmunfluorescence method and we detected C. pneumoniae and HHV-6 DNA in cerebrospinal fluid (SCF) specimens taken from MS patients and OND patients with Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Apo E genotyping was applied on whole blood samples (taken in EDTA tubes) of 36 MS patients and 30 healthy controls.

35 MS patients (89.7%), 32 healthy controls (76.2%) and 10 OND patients (100%) were previously infected with C. pneumoniae. According to these results, there was no difference between these groups when MS patients were compared, with control group. Furthermore, C. pneumoniae or HHV-6 DNA was not detected in any of MS nor OND patients' CSF (cerebro spinal fluid) samples. In 26, 8 and 2 of MS patients, e3e3 (72.2%), e2e3 (22.2%) and e3e4 (%5.6) were detected, respectively and Apo E genotype distrubution was found similiar with the normal population when these results were compared with control group. Furthermore, no relationship between Apo E e4 allele and MS clinical findings were observed.

As a result of this study, we suggest that there is no triggering or distrubing effect of C. pneumoniae or HHV-6 on MS which was thought to be as multifactoriel ethiologic agents of MS progression according to our findings. We suggest that Apo E genotype distrubutions in MS patients is similar with normal population and there is no relation between apo E alleles with disease duration and disability progression in MS patients. We think that it is early to say something definite and further studies were needed for relationship between Apo E genotype with C. peumoniae and HHV-6.